They Are Just Soaking Up All That Sunshine

 I see either pickles or salads with cucumbers in my future.

I planted two hills of zucchini and it looks like both will be producing.

We are going to be up to our eyebrows in yellow squash very soon.

The cucumbers are finally working their way up the fence.

Using the fence as a trellis for the green beans was a genius idea.

A Few Beauties

While Weeding Today...

I ran across this little jewel of a bug.  I first thought it was a spider.  Then one of my really smart friends on FB said to count the legs.  Hmmm, not a spider after all.  Assassin beetle.  Seems that they are good for the garden.  Thank you very much, little fellow.  Now mosey on and do your thing.

Got a good handful of basil for Emmy to make into pesto.  And hidden is some cilantro.

And these pretty leaves.  Mark bought them because they were pretty.  They are but have no clue what they are.  Until I posted on FB and everyone else seems to know what they are...red sorrel.

Emmy even found a recipe from Sass & Veracity

Red Sorrel and Arugula Salad with Avocado and Orange

Salad Ingredients

a palm full of red sorrel

half a palm full of tender new arugula sprouts

a few hearty sprigs of flat-leafed parsley

some avocado

an orange

sprinkle of feta

Dressing Ingredients

the juice of half a Meyer lemon

a few teaspoons or so of excellent, fruity, extra virgin olive oil (from California)

a dash or two of superior Sherry vinegar (from Espana)

cracked pepper

sea salt

Directions

1. Rinse the greens, because the small snail you found hiding under one of the sorrel leaves has left its mark in more than one place.  Resist trimming the edges the other garden critters have chewed, because it’s organic, right?
2. Slice the avocado and peel the orange, removing as much as the pith as you can.  If you’re like me, eat the pith because it reminds you of times spent in childhood gnawing the inside of orange peels on hot summer days.
3. To make the dressing, squeeze the lemon and with a fork, whisk in the olive oil.  Splash in the vinegar and mix well.  Season and taste.  Adjust.
4. Pour a bit of dressing on the greens and toss well.  Plate and add the avocado and orange.  Drizzle on more dressing to your liking and sprinkle on the feta.

June Gardening

The Tower Garden in taking off.  Tomorrow will be the first harvest day.

This is so exciting!  Might need to eat them to make sure everything is gong o be okay.

Look who I found sunning in the compost bin...good old Mr. Sneaky Snake.

Things Are Heating Up In June

I planted a few marigolds in the raised beds this year to see if it might keep out anything that might want to chomp on the vegetables as they are growing.  So far so good.

The blanket flowers are few and far between this year for some reason.  Maybe the chickens scratching in the flower bed would have something to do with that.

If I am correct on this...this little rose bush was given to me by the Youth Group at Mt Washington Baptist Church when we left Cincinnati in 2000 to go plant some roots in WI.  We were there 6 years.  We moved back to OH and have been here for 10 years.  I have carefully carried this little bush with me each move.

'Where The Red Fern Grows' is one of our favorite books.  When Susie and Keithette Renetta died and I buried them side by side Ellis asked if I thought a red fern would grow between them.  I am happy to say that an Autumn red fern is now growing between then.